Growing
by Kitsanken
Summary: Growing up sometimes means noticing things that others don't think are obvious.


Title: **Growing**  
Category: Anime/Manga » Naruto  
Author: Kitsanken, formerly known as Chiruken and/or Sandlewood996 and/or Kittsune  
Language: English, Rating: Fiction Rated: K  
Genre: General  
Published: 02-08-06, Updated: 02-08-06  
Chapters: 1, Words: 682

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**And no, I didn't "Steal" this fic from "Sandlewood996"...I've merely begun transferring all of my other fics from my "Sandlewood996" account to this one in an attempt to keep everything together and no confuse myself any further. (I have a horrible memory and trying to remember passwords for multiple accounts is a real pain.**

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**Naruto Fanfiction**

**ONE-SHOT**

_Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto; Studio Pierrot; TV Tokyo; GAINAX; Aniplex; SME Visual Works; Cartoon Network; YTV (Canada); Viz Communications; ShoPro Entertainment; STUDIOPOLIS, Inc.; Game One; Kana Video; Made In Europe; Cartoon Network L.A;. Xystus; Artsound Mexico; ABS-CBN; Hero; Mediaset; Panini Video Italia; Panini Video; Cartoon Network L.A. (Brasil); Dublarte; Shonen Jump (Japan); Shonen Jump (USA); Shueisha; Glènat España; Carlsen Comics; Banzai!; Japonica Polonica Fantastica (JPF) "; Shonen Jump (Sweden)_

_All Fanfics created by Kitsanken (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

_**Author's Forward:** I've only just begun watching Naruto; please forgive any OOC-ness or misinterpreted facts. The above disclaimer may just be a little overmuch; however I had no wish to leave out anyone who may have rightful claim to Naruto and any of the characters, situations, or storylines contained in it._

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**Growing**

_By: Kitsanken_

It seemed from the very earliest of his memories that secrets had been kept from him. He knew it wasn't just paranoia. He may be young, but even he could tell when conversations abruptly ended when he approached or people would look at him through narrowed eyes.

Then there was the question of the odd mark he bore on his stomach. It was amazing to what lengths everyone would go just to avoid answering his questions about what it was or where it came from. It was enough to frustrate him to no end.

It was odd, but he'd always had the distinct impression that those around him were holding their breath and biding their time, just waiting for him to do…something. He didn't know what it was that he was expected to do, but if he could figure it out, he'd be sure to do it. After all, he couldn't disappoint so many people, now could he?

Naturally, there were a few who didn't follow with the others. People like Iruka-sensei, for instance. Iruka-sensei didn't look at him sideways or whisper behind his hand. But still…he felt as if it didn't quite measure up to his sensei's expectations at all. In some ways, he felt as if Iruka-sensei might just be his only friend in the entire world…and in others he was the father-figure he'd never had. That was probably why he felt so bad whenever Iruka-sensei would look at him with disappointed eyes and shake his head sadly.

But this was all well and good, knowing that most looked at him with distrust and others looked at him with dislike. If knowledge was power, then he couldn't help but suspect that the people of his village were working very hard towards keeping him weak. After all, they were keeping secrets, not telling him everything. So, if he reasoned it out, then if he could just learn those secrets, then he could gain the knowledge they already possessed. And once he did that, maybe they wouldn't look at him with narrowed eyes or whisper behind their hands anymore. Because…with knowledge came power and in turn strength came with power.

So…half the battle here was in knowing that there was something amiss. Like only knowing part of the joke but not the punch line. Graduation was only a few weeks off…and though he was confident in his abilities, there were a few that he wasn't quite so confident in. Like Bunshin no Justsu. He grimaced and shook his head as if to clear away the doubts. He could always hope they didn't include that as part of the final exam.

_**Owari**_

_**Author's Notes:**_ _Sadly, after transferring my fics to my other account, I will lose all reviews. T_T_

_Because of this, I wish to thank everyone who left a comment under my other account (Sandlewood996):_

**FlamingDoritos**

Thank you ever so much for reading and taking the time to leave a review.


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